Two Pieces of a Broken Heart
by Arya Reed
Summary: Dedicated to GretaWaters284AL. Jojen/OC, slightly Brojen. Jojen lost his soul mate once due to the expectations of society. Will he lose her again due to his own foolishness? WARNING: Chapter 10 is spoiler-y for the next episode, and 11 is based in part on material from the fifth book, so bear with me. JojenOC, implied Brojen, BranShireen, mentioned JonMeera
1. A Dream

Note: Don't own _Game of Thrones, Song of Ice and Fire_, or any of the characters from the series. All characters from those series belong to GRRM.

Chapter 1

A Dream

Jojen had dreamed of her before they met.

It had been one of the first dreams he had following his near-death experience with greywater fever. He had been young then, possibly only six or seven. He was alone in the forest, frightened. And, right when he had given up hope of finding his way home, _she _showed up.

She was about the same age, with long dark hair flowing to her waist and creamy pale skin. He hadn't had the opportunity to meet girls besides his sister before, so he was awestruck and how beautiful she was. She held out her hand and beckoned him, wordlessly. But right when he took a step toward her, she disappeared, and he regained consciousness.

That dream plagued him the worst of all his early greendreams, yet he never shared this one with Lord Howland or Meera. This one felt more like a secret, and if it was trying to tell him something, he didn't know what it was.

But suddenly, something happened. Meera was out hunting with Lord Howland one day, and they arrived home with a surprise. Howland carried in his arms the girl from Jojen's dream, unconscious and drenched with swamp water. They set her down inside and wrapped her in blankets by the fire.

Jojen sat and observed her for a few moments. Where had she come from? How had she gotten here? He was so caught up in his musings about how the girl from his dreams might have ended up in Greywater Watch, that he almost didn't hear her mumbling. However, as soon as she spoke, his ears perked up.

"Father...don't make me go...please, I'll be good...she's...vicious..."

Was she being forced to go somewhere against her will? Jojen swore that once he found out who her father was, he would talk some sense into the man, for violating his daughter's trust.

She thrashed about, and wanting to soothe her, he gripped her hand. As soon as they touched, she instantly stopped moving and settled peacefully back into unconsciousness once more.

He would let her rest for now. And when she awoke, he would inquire who she was.

Juliette awoke to find herself on a cot in a very strange little hut in who-knew-where. As she examined her surroundings, taking in the rusticity of it all, her first instinct was to scream.

An arm came out of nowhere and swept her into an awkward embrace. She looked up to see a gangly red-blond boy with intense green eyes staring down at her with concern. She fought the instinct to scream once more, instead stuttering out, "Wh-who are you?"

"I'm Jojen Reed," the youth said, releasing her. "My father and sister found you out near the swamps, drenched."

_Swamps_? "Where am I?"

"You're in Greywater Watch," he explained calmly. "Meera has gone to fetch something for supper."

Then, a girl with short, dark scraggly hair and a man with a strong resemblance to Jojen entered the hut, both bearing armfuls of dead rabbits and frogs. "Oh, you're awake," the girl said cheerfully. "Father began to worry, because we couldn't pull Jojen away from you. But I told him, it's better that he was fixated on something the present for a change."

"Howland Reed." The man held out his hand. "And this is my daughter, Meera. And you've met Jojen already."

"Juliette Cromwell," she said nervously. "I understand I owe you my gratitude, Lord Reed for saving my life."

"I don't know about that," Howland said modestly. "Jojen did all the hard work, looking over you."

"Where did you come from, Juliette?" asked Meera.

"Near White Harbor originally. But I was traveling with my step- , er, the rest of my family from King's Landing, while my father remains busy at King Robert's court." She had to stop herself before she could say her new _stepmother _ was her traveling companion. Lady Viviane Cromwell was the most likely reason she was abandoned and half-drowned in the first place.

"Will they be looking for you?" asked Lord Howland.

"I don't think so."

"We should let her stay here with us," Meera suggested. "At least until her family comes looking for her."

Lord Howland turned to Jojen. "What do you think?"

Part of him immediately wanted to declare yes, she should stay. And what if that was what his dream had meant? But he still felt the pull to be rational and not make a hasty decision. And what if he got too attached to her? What then?

"She can stay. But we should start looking for her family as well."


	2. Best Friends

Chapter 2

Best Friends

Over the next few days, Jojen fought a losing battle. He didn't want to grow closer to Juliette. What if she left? What if he opened his heart to her, only to have her snatched away by her family?

Lord Howland and Meera didn't waste time in treating him like one their own, however. They didn't put too much effort into looking for her family, and she didn't divulge more about her situation. Thus, they avoided each other for several weeks after, but a dream intervened to bring them together.

They were in the forest once more, but this time she was older, sadder. Judging by the distance he had to gaze down to his feet, he was older as well. Meera stood with them, looking at him expectantly.

But with them as well were four strangers. Two were dark boys he recognized vaguely as the sons of his father's friend, Lord Eddard Stark. With them were a large giant of man and a woman with a manner, an expression in her eyes, and the clothing that suited a wildling. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but the dream went black.

The scene changed. He was now, he presumed, in King's Landing, though be sure, because he had never been there. In the candlelit apartments, sat an older man bearing a strong resemblance to Juliette. He was going through papers, frowning. Thankfully, Jojen appeared to be invisible to the man.

One of the documents on the desk caught Jojen's eye. The words "ward" and "marriage" stood out on the page. Jojen squinted, in an effort to examine the document more closely.

"If it please you, I offer my son and heir, Sebaston Farman, who is to inherit Faircastle after me, for your eldest daughter's hand in marriage. He is nine-and-twenty, and has not yet found a wife. If you will send your daughter to us as our ward, she will be forthwith considered as the future Lady Farman."

Was Juliette the eldest daughter? She must be...he had to save her. There was no way she could go home now.

When he awoke, he found Juliette already at breakfast round the fire with Lord Howland and Meera. Good, he could tell them the news.

"You can't go home, Juliette."

"Did you have another dream?" Meera explained to a confused Juliette, "Jojen is a greenseer. He can see things before they happen in his dreams."

"Or things that have happened before or are happening now," Jojen added. "But I saw your father. He was reading a letter from a Lord Farman. You're to be sent to live with his family and marry his son."

"Sending me away as a ward was...discussed," she said meekly. "But Father and Lady Viviane couldn't agree on a suitable family. Lady Viviane is my stepmother."

The family was silent for a minute or two, as they processed Jojen's and Juliette's revelations. Then, Meera spoke up. "You should live here, as Father's ward. We are simple people, but Father is Lord of Greywater Watch, who served his overlord and his king during the Rebellion. That ought to be enough for your family."

"And perhaps someday, you might marry Jojen," Lord Howland suggested.

Jojen exchanged a look with Juliette. He found her attractive, yes, but he was just a boy. How could his father, of all people, consider marrying him off when he was so young? But Juliette would be safe, and that was all that mattered.

Juliette cleared her throat. "My father is Lord Gregor Cromwell. Please write to him, and not my stepmother. Lady Viviane is taking me and my stepsiblings was taking them to Fair Isle. Send the letter to King's Landing."

Lord Howland wrote to Juliette's father in King's Landing, who reluctantly gave his consent to his daughter's betrothal to young Jojen. Juliette was relieved she was allowed to stay, though the idea of a betrothal to anyone remained an uncomfortable subject for her.

Time passed. and the two grew closer. The subject of their eventual marriage was never brought up, but they both knew it would happen eventually, and were pleased not to be marrying some repulsive stranger.

Juliette was there when Jojen had the first of his "seizures": at first she had been shocked when his entire body began shaking wildly, his eyes opened in a frightening, glassy stare, and was even more concerned when Meera and Lord Howland could offer no other explanation other than, "Perhaps the visions overwhelm him this time."

After cowering in fear from his out-of-control "fits" once, she was determined to be ready to handle it on her own when it occurred the next time, which was only a few weeks later. When his sleep was interrupted by another, she was ready with a sash to put in his mouth, as she caressed his head in her lap. Within a minute or two, he calmed down and awoke.

"What happened, dearest?"

"I...think there;s trouble in King's Landing. I don't know if it's happening now, or if it's yet to come, but there's some ...difficulty." He sat up and looked at her. "I pray for your father's safety."

"Relax, Jojen." She ran her fingers through his unnaturally soft hair. "Everything will be all right. And the worst of your visions have not come to pass yet."

"But they're always correct," he said worriedly.

"Wargs have it the worst," she said flippantly. "Always so preoccupied with the future, they can't focus on the present."

He glared at her.

"I was only joking, Jojen. That's the one thing I don't like about you, you know. You could never take a joke."

His demeanor brightened. "That's the only thing?"

"You would be perfect if you smiled more." Jojen's lips curved upward slightly, in a half-smile. "Like that, but more." She reached out and angled his mouth even further upward, until he suddenly broke into laughter.

"Don't do...that anymore!" he choked out. Regaining composure, he added, "I'll try to look happier, if that would please you."

"And try not to be too disturbed by your visions," she insisted. "They are far away. Focus on what is right in front of you first.'

"All right." He surrendered. "I, Jojen Reed, promise not to let the visions be the focus of my life."

"And?" she pressed.

"And if I fail, you, Juliette Cromwell, may subject any punishment you wish on me. Nothing could be worse than being _forced _to smile."

"Believe me, Jojen, you don't know what else I'm capable of." She grinned sinisterly. She hoped that was enough to keep him on his guard.


	3. Twin Souls Torn Apart

**Rating update: I went into more suggestive territory here, so I'm upping the rating. But I promise it won't be racy enough to earn an M rating. **

Chapter 3

Twin Souls Torn Apart

Years passed, and it became more obvious to everyone that the match between Jojen and Juliette might occur eventually. Lord Howland did not put pressure on the two of them, even as they continued into adolescence and their teen years. He didn't even pester Meera, who showed no inclination to seek a husband. If he wanted them to marry at all, it was assumed that he thought it best to wait until they were ready.

But though Howland Reed was a lenient parent and guardian, he couldn't expect others to change their expectations, even Juliette's father. Barely a week after Juliette had turned sixteen, a letter from Lord Gregor found its way to Greywater Watch, inquiring why Juliette had yet to marry Jojen. He threatened to come to Greywater to collect her immediately if they were not wed by Jojen's sixteenth birthday the following month.

"It must be Lady Viviane's doing," griped Juliette. "She's always wanted me to marry Lord Farman. He's her brother-in-law, I think. She was always upset with my father for being too soft with me. Perhaps that's why she abandoned me that day."

"We won't let you leave us," Meera insisted. "How can they force you to leave Greywater Watch if they can't find it?"

Lord Howland and Meera were both convinced of the almost-absolute impenetrability of Greywater, though also were prepared to consider other methods, such as combat and bartering, if need be. No one actually suggested the marriage actually take place.

Juliette found Jojen off near the swamps by himself, brooding. He looked up and smiled when he saw her, but resumed his quiet musing.

"Do you reckon they're against us marrying?" Jojen asked.

"Who? Your family or mine?"

"Yours..mine...both..." He picked up a stone and tried to skip it absently.

"It was your father who suggested the match," she pointed out.

"But Meera isn't exactly keen on me getting married. She likes you, but it has become more obvious to her that marriage is a society expectation, based only on physical gain. It used to be a more holistic, spiritual thing."

"What does that entail?"

"Father said there is such a thing as a twin soul," Jojen continued, "and those who are lucky enough to find them must face a great deal of hardship before they are allowed to be together. Sometimes they aren't even allowed to be together in their present life, and must keep reincarnating to find their twin again. Father and Mother were twin souls. I dreamed about it."

"But..." How should she ask this question? And before he got fixated on dreams again?

Ah, that's it! It was a bit of a daring move, but someone always said actions were louder than words.

She leaned a bit closer to him, hoping to press her lips lightly on his cheek, just enough so he would notice. But just as she was inches away from his face, he turned to face her, his lips landing on hers.

Funny, when the primary staples of one's diet are frogs and rabbits and whatever other live catch could be found, you expect them to taste like that. But he didn't. Or if he did, perhaps she was just immune to the scent and taste of frogs and wild game. But the scent he emanated...it was of an indescribable nature; it was difficult to fight it.

He pulled away from her, reluctance visible in his eyes. "We should go back."

But she did not want this to end. "If you have to marry me next month..."

He knew what she was suggesting. "We need to do this properly, to appease your family. They won't approve of anything...untoward...going on between us until we are wed."

""But..."

Juliette didn't get to finish her statement. For just a moment later they were ambushed by a half dozen strangely familiar armed guards. All their uniforms were emblazoned with the same crest: a bull holding a crossbow, the Cromwell crest. Three of them restrained me, and the pthers held their lances threateningly before a terrified Jojen.

Out of the thicket came my stepmother, Lady Viviane.

"Well done, boys," she said loftily. Her malevolent scarlet eyes alighted Juliette's. "Come along, dearest. Your father wishes me to take you home with me. We're to go first to White Harbor, where he awaits us, and then on to Fair Isle, where you shall meet your betrothed."

'What is this?" asked Lord Howland, returning from frog-hunting with Meera. "Lady Cromwell, I was under the impression that you and your husband would not be coming for another few weeks at least. We have not begun plans for Juliette's wedding yet."

"Well, the wedding is off," Lady Viviane snapped. "At least the wedding between your son and Juliette. Juliette shall marry as she was meant to. Lord Farman will make a much better husband than an absent-minded toady like your son."

'He is not!" Meera unsheathed her rusty dagger, pressing it to Lady Viviane's throat. "Call him that again, and you'll regret it."

"Another example of the horrid influence Juliette has been under," Lady Viviane added airily. "The entire family dress in rags, smells like they haven't bathed in years, and defy convention in the worst way. That is it." She swiftly pushed Meera backward onto the ground. "Guards, release the boy, and shackle my daughter, please."

"But..." Lord Howland protested. "You don't have to do this."

"But I do."

Lord Howland and his children could only watch helplessly as their ward and friend (and possibly more) was dragged away by Lady Viviane Cromwell.

**Okay, for the next one, I'm not really sure what I want to do. I either want to do one that integrates scenes from the show, and Juliette meets up with them along the way, or skip over and summarize that stuff and adapt stuff from "A Dance With Dragons". I'm thinking for the sake of the people who only watch the show, I should start with the scenes we already have, especially since I haven't read DWD yet. **


	4. Finding Each Other

Chapter 4

Searchinf For Each Other

Jojen fell into a deep depression following Juliette's abduction. He ate little and only slept for short periods of time, enough to dream. The unfortunate thing was, he seemed to have lost his abilities as a proper greenseer. She dominated all his dreams: memories of their time together, visions of what she and her family were up to now (her deceitful stepmother had lied about taking her to Fair Isle, and returned with her to King's Landing instead), and the dire future that awaited her.

The worst vision had been just after his sixteenth birthday. She was in an opulent room, being washed and dressed by an army of maids. At first he did not know the point of the scene before him, until Lady Viviane entered the room, casting a cold glance at her stepdaughter. "Are you ready? Lord Sebaston Farman is not a patient man."

The dream ended there. But he returned to consciousness screaming and shaking, in Meera's protective embrace. She had adopted the soothing method Juliette had used on him that first time. The memory of that day dug a pit in his heart.

"You need to move on, Jojen," she said. "I know you miss her, but you can't mourn her the rest of your life. She wouldn't want that."

"I know. I try."

"Father has heard that King Robert has died," Meera continued. "He thinks Lord Eddard Stark could be in danger. He needs your visions to know for sure."

Meera was right. He needed to regain some focus in his life. He would forget Juliette. It didn't matter that she had been the closest he had gotten to romantic love. He had his father and Meera, and that was all he would ever need.

The visions immediately returned, and he had a startling revelation about Lord Eddard's fate. The man would be executed by order of the new young king. What was more, his children would all play key roles in a war against the boy king and his family.

When he confided this knowledge to Lord Howland, he burst into tears. And he never cried.

"What's wrong, Father?" Meera asked.

"I didn't think they would kill him, And the children...three are about your age or older, last I checked, but there's two that are very young."

"Would one of them be called Bran?" Jojen didn't remember how he knew that name, but it was connected somehow to a long-ago vision he'd had about the woods. And over time, he'd come to realize there was something special about that boy. He had the Sight, though he did not realize it yet.

"Yes," said Lord Howland.

Meera stood up, a fiery look in a her eye. "They will need protection, won't they?"

Jojen nodded solemnly. "We must seek them out at Winterfell as soon as we can."

"Ouch!" Juliette yelped as yet another pin poked into her skin.

She was in the midst of wedding dress fittings in the Cromwell apartments at King's Landing. The wedding was only four months away, which she thought was rather foolish considering the court was meant to be in mourning for the King. Felled by a boar...who would have thought it possible? Would her own husband be so easy to bring down? He was nearly forty, after all.

Jojen would not be so easy to defeat. As bad with weapons as he was, his keen intelligence was sharp enough to get him out of any situation.

Why did she still think of Jojen? They would never see each other again, at least not when they were both free. She might meet him again as Lady Farman, and he would be husband to some other pretty girl, whom he did not marry simply because his father told him to.

Lady Viviane hulked over her, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Don't complain. You need to look perfect, so Lord Farman will see what a jewel he's buy- I mean marrying."

"Shall I cinch the waist a bit tighter, my lady?" the seamstress asked.

Lady Viviane gave Juliette a once-over. "It will do. But what about my children? You promised dear sweet Vivling that you would add some lace trim to her blue velvet."

Lady Viviane's daughter, Vivling, who Lady V. addressed so as a term of endearment, and Juliette in a more mocking tone, trouped in after her mother, wearing the blue velvet gown. "Could you please, sew it for me, pretty please? I've always wanted a bit of lace!"

Juliette tuned out the girl's nagging. That was the only reason she was happy to be going through this marriage. Anything was better than spending the rest of her life with bratty Vivling.

"You'll have more than a bit, darling," Lady Viviane insisted. "Didn't I tell you King Joffrey would be at the wedding? His mother may have other plans for him, but after the wedding, she will change her mind."

"There will be no wedding." She fidgeted, freeing herself from the seamstress's grip. "I refuse to marry some prig." She marched out of the room, pins and all, slamming the door behind her.

There was no way she could stay here. But she couldn't exactly walk out of King's Landing looking like she did.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She wasn't allowed time to take any of her possessions from Greywater Watch, but she still had the clothes she had worn there, along with the boots, in which she hid a small dagger, a gift from Meera. Pressing the blade against her hair, she cut it in a similar style to Meera's:, just above the shoulder. And once she put on her old trousers and shirt, her disguise was complete.

"I am not Juliette Cromwell any longer," she whispered to herself. "I am Julius."

The Reeds all went to bed with a single goal in mind. They would visit Winterfell to show their support for Bran and the Starks. Jojen might be able to get more insight into who Bran was, and find out whether his visions were developing at all yet.

But a vision that night changed all that. It was Juliette, walking north along the Kingsroad alone. But she looked different, more like she did in the dreams of his youth, predicting her presence with Bran and his protectors. Her hair was cut shorter, and her clothes, the rough shirt and trousers they had provided for her, were more form-fitting.

She was traveling in disguise, and coming to find them. But she'd have a hard time finding them if they remained in Greywater Watch, or if they went to Winterfell.

They needed to go to her.


	5. How I Feel About You Now

Chapter 5

How I Feel About You Now

The following morning, they were ready to leave. Meera turned to him expectantly.

"Are you sure you saw her walking alone on the Kingsroad?"

He nodded solemnly. "Disguised as one of us."

"But she could be accosted! We need to make haste and find her as soon as possible I have all the weapons we need. We'll make camp for the night near the Eyrie. I'm sure Lady Arryn won't mind."

They made the trek down the Kingsroad, toward the Vale of Arryn, setting up a tent in the amid the lush greenery when it grew too dark to travel, even by candlelight. And they set up a fire to toast some rabbits and game they found as they traveled along.

"I think they're nearly ready," Meera said, gesturing to one of the kebabed rabbits. But their attention was called away from dinner by a crunch somewhere in the thicket. Like lightning, Meera whipped out her dagger.

"Who's there?'

"It's me," said the voice. Jojen knew it instantly.

He was right. Julieete revealed herself, exactly as she had appeared in his dreams. Meera immediately dropped her dagger to the ground and dove at Juliette, enveloping her in a bear hug.

"I can't believe it! I thought that wicked woman would kill you or something..."

"Well, I escaped." Meera finally released her, allowing her to turn to Jojen.

They stared at each other awkwardly. This wasn't how he imagined them reuniting.

"Hello," she mumbled, staring at her boots.

"Hello."

She was as beautiful as ever, but why couldn't he speak? And why wasn't she looking at him? Had she forgotten everything they'd been through together?

"Where are you headed?"

"To Winterfell, we think," Meera said. "We need to find the sons of an old friend of our father's."

"So...north?" Juliette gestured upward, avoiding his eyes. Meera nodded.

The journey was a difficult one, particularly since Meera had to do most of the talking. Jojen tried to initiate conversations with Juliette at first, but realizing she wasn't going to talk to him, he backed off, and lost himself in his thoughts,

Part of her wanted to forgive Jojen, and go back to the way things were before. But she couldn't. She knew he didn't have a strong physical personality the way Meera did, but couldn't he have done something to defend her. Instead, he just let Lady Viviane and her henchmen drag her away to her uncertain fate. Uncertain to her, anyway. He probably had already foreseen every aspect of her future.

Things grew worse when they were just a mile or two from Winterfell. They were camped out for the night, with the expectation of meeting with the Starks the next day. But during the night, Jojen had an unpleasant dream about the fate of the Stark boys. They were still alive, but they had been forced to flee Winterfell with their two protectors, the same wildling woman and giant man he'd seen in his previous visions.

"How shall we find them?" Meera asked.

"We shall travel the woods," Jojen declared. "They're headed toward the Wall."

Of course, Meera agreed. Juliette said nothing, of course. Her opinion didn't matter.

But of course, Jojen turned out to be right. He woke one morning, saying he'd managed to "warg" into this boy, Bran's, dream, the previous night. "I know where they are, said. "They're not far from us."

Juliette did not understand the flxation with Bran Stark, even given their families' histories. Why was Jojen so obsessive about him in particular? Weren't there two Stark boys, and two companions?

They followed Jojen, knowing how he could be when he was determined to accomplish a task.

It was quite foggy that morning, but they somehow managed to find their way: Jojen in the lead, Meera with her dagger at the ready bringing up the rear. Juliette sulkily lagged behind.

"Stupid Bran Stark," she cursed, as she marched on the grass, leaves crunching beneath her boots. Internally, she thought up other, more filthy insults she could apply to Bran, but a lady should never use such language aloud.

Suddenly, the scuffle ahead called her out of her thoughts. A wolf growled, and she thought she saw Meera holding her dagger to a woman's throat. Alarmed, she raced to the scene.

"If you kill me, that wolf will tear you to bits," the woman said.

But Jojen, it seems, was determined to prove the woman wrong. He was already close enough to touch the wolf. "You must be Summer."

The wolf immediately stopped growling, sniffed his hand, and backed off. Then, he approached the dark-featured boy sitting on the ground by a tree, who could only be Bran.

"I'm Jojen Reed. This is my sister, Meera, and our friend, Juliette. We've come a long way to find you, Brandon. And we have much farther to go."

Juliette was pleased he hadn't forgotten to mention her, but could he honestly lump her with them? She had little interest in whatever they were doing for Bran.

It only got worse later that day. They barely had time to rest, because they now joined Bran's gang heading for the Wall, for some godsforsaken reason. Bran was a cripple who had to be pulled in a wheelbarrow, but that didn't stop Jojen from talking to him. He walked directly behind the wheelbarrow pulled by Hodor, leaving Juliette to walk with Osha and Meera.

"What's he telling him?" Osha asked Meera.

"Why don't you ask?" Meera suggested. Juliette was sorely tempted to do so herself.

"Are you ashamed of your brother, needing you to protect him?"

"Where's the shame in that?:" Meera laughed.

"Any boy his age who needs protecting is going to find himself needing lots of protecting."

"Some people will always need help. That doesn't mean they're not worth helping."

Osha said nothing after that. Then Meera turned to Juliette. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," she lied. But for some reason, the sight of Bran Stark and the knowledge that Jojen devoted all that time and effort into finding him bored a hole into her heart.

**Some Brojen to compete with the Joliette/Jujen/JojenOC! Please R&R! **


	6. The Perceptive Stark

**Sorry, it's a bit short. But I'll try to make up for it with the next one. I'm hoping there's a Jojen scene or two in this weekend's episode. With frequent updates, I might just get there, if there is. Also, a title didn't really jump out at me while I was working on this one, so if you have any suggestions...**

Chapter 6

The Perceptive Stark

Jojen was torn. Now that they had reached Bran, he had to help him figure out his dreams. But there was still Juliette to consider. She still barely spoke two words to him, unless Meera forced her. And Bran's cold wildling companion Osha warmed more quickly to Juliette, taking her side and, he suspected, even slipping a few discreet slanders about them into her ear. Rickon, Bran's impressionable younger brother had warmed up to Juliette, turning against him. The two had spend the day talking about his wolf Shaggydog, and how originally there had been six wolves, one for each of Eddard Stark's offspring.

The giant, but largely dumb Hodor, who served as Bran's legs, seemed to take his side, but he too shifted attention to Juliette as soon as they made camp.

It's a good thing I need to warg into Bran's dreams, he thought. Because there was no way he would sleep tonight.

Bran's dream was quite similar to his last. He was running in the woods, when he encountered the three-eyed raven, this time up a tree. Jojen walked to his side to observe the raven for a moment.

"You have to go after it."

"How?" Bran asked.

"You know how."

Bran then proceeded to climb the tree. That was when it all went south. At the top of the tree, his mother materialized out of nowhere, shaking him violently, causing him to fall back to the ground, shaking Bran back to consciousness and Jojen out of the dream.

Bran opened his eyes and stared up at Jojen, Jojen stared back.

Maybe it was time for him to get some sleep. Maybe a dream would help him sort out all his situations, both with Bran and Juliette.

Juliette rose early the next morning, in time to see Meera and Hodor leaving to hunt for food. Osha was thankfully still asleep, so there was no nastiness between them. Jojen was also still out cold.

Gods, he looked beautiful when he slept, and he wasn't disturbed by greendreams. Even though part of her wanted to hate him, she just couldn't. His face had that angelic look that made her want to rest his head in her lap to caress and protect forever.

But she couldn't forgive him for seemingly putting a mission to help Bran ahead of their friendship.

Rickon, the younger boy she had chatted with yesterday, stirred nearby. Slowly, he lifted his head, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning, Rickon."

"You were in my dream last night." He yawned.

"I was? I'm pleased."

"We were getting married, and lived together at Winterfell," he continued dreamily. "'Long live King Rickon and Queen Juliette!'"

"That's very sweet, Rickon, but for that to come true, Bran would have to die without marrying or having children. And then there's Robb..."

"I know. I don't want anything bad to happen to them. It was only a dream."

As long as it wasn't a greendream, she thought. But Rickon wasn't the one with greensight, or Jojen's time would be equally consumed with both Stark brothers.

Leter, when everyone was awake and they'd breakfasted, they were ready to continue to the Wall. But of course, life couldn't go on without Osha making a snide comment about Meera.

"We don't eat frogs, Lady Reed," she said snidely. 'It might do for yourself and your brother, but if you can't handle catching real game, leave the hunting to the experts."

"Like you?" Meera shot back.

Arguing aside, they managed to travel a good distance in the time they had, though Jojen remained preoccupied with Bran, leaving Juliette with only Rickon once again.

"You like Jojen, don't you?" the boy asked her, as they walked.

"What would give you that idea?"

"It's just something I noticed."

Rickon was more perceptive than he was given credit for. Bran might have greendreams, but Rickon could easily have some form of telepathy. Either that, or her feelings were just that obvious.

**Thanks for reading! R&R, please? **


	7. I Hate You Don't Leave Me

**Note: There are quite a few Demi Lovato song references in this chapter! I tried to do them without going overboard and sound like I was planting them on purpose. But if anyone happens to be a Demi fan, keep an eye out! (Hint: The title is one, and one of the quotes I pulled from the episode is another.)**

Chapter 7

I Hate You, Don't Leave Me

The next few days were rocky, considering the in-fighting. Every time they had to stop to make camp, Juliette knew it was only the end of one episode and the beginning of another of the same.

To make matters worse, while everyone else seemed to drift off, she was still wide awake. She stared into the flames, wondering what she should do. She couldn't leave. She wasn't familiar with anything north of Winterfell, and she would surely die out on her own. As unpleasant as her companions were, she had to stick with them.

"Hodor?" a voice behind her called.

She turned, Hodor was sitting up, looking at her. Not everyone was asleep after all.

"I'm sorry, am I keeping you awake, Hodor?"

"Hodor," he mumbled in reply.

She wondered why he constantly repeated that word, but it was nice to know that she could talk to him without worrying.

"It's just so hard to sleep when he's around. I feel something for him, but I don't think he feels the same way. He must have, once, but he must have forgotten. He has other things on his mind."

"Hodor..." Hodor draped a comforting arm around her.

"Thank you for being a good friend, Hodor. I think I'll try to go to sleep now."

She slept for a while, but woke barely a few hours later, to see Osha tending the fire. Jojen was still asleep, and Bran, Rickon, and Hodor were resting.

"Little Lady Reed has gone to look for food," Osha said mockingly. "Let's hope she brings back something edible."

Thankfully, Meera came back with rabbits, and no frogs. But skinning them started another war between the two. Osha tried to prove she was better at doing the skinning. and the tension escalated.

"You're both very good at skinning rabbits," Bran said, an irritated look on his face. It was obvious that he was tired of the constant bickering.

But Osha wouldn't stop. 'Some of us are just a little better."

"Some of us would say thank you when someone else hunts down their breakfast for them. Or don't they teach you to say thank you north of the Wall?"

Iit continued like this, with Bran trying to get them to stop once more, pointing out that they'd been fighting since they'd met. Juliette could not help but compare their situation to her current standing with Jojen. Since they reunited, they had barely spoken, which considering their shared past, was tragic.

Suddenly, a strange thing happened. Just when things were settled between Meera and Osha, Jojen began shaking. Juliette knew what that meant. It was a vision, a particularly intense one.

Meera leapt up to go to his side, but Juliette instincitvely beat him to it. "Let me, she whispered. To Jojen, she said, soothingly, "I'm right here with you." She rested his head in her lap, as she used to do in the old days, placing her belt in his jaw.

"What's happening? What's wrong with him?" Rickon asked, alarmed. Everyone's attention had turned to Jojen now.

"The visions take their toll," Meera explained.

Jojen's eyes went wild, like those of a warg during a skinchanging.

"He's having one now?" Bran asked, clearly curious.

Both Juliette and Meera nodded solemnly.

The worst of it was over, and Jojen stopped shaking, still out of breath. She removed the belt and let him get up.

But instead of turning his attention to her, he immediately looked at Bran. "I saw Jon Snow," he said.

"You saw him?" Bran sounded excited. "At Castle Black?"

"He was on the wrong side of the wall, and surrounded by enemies."

Bran just stared for a long time, unsure what to make of this news.

She had comforted him. He didn't think she still cared. After breakfast, when she left to get a few moments alone, he followed.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" She didn't stop walking.

"Save me...Meera could have done it..."

"Well...ummm..."

He tightly gripped her shoulder to keep her from going another step, twirling her around to face him. Her eyes were wet, fresh with tears.

"Please tell me. We used to be best friends. We were supposed to be married once."

"That's the problem," she half sobbed. "It's hard to see you so close to someone else, who understands something I can never be a part of."

"You don't need to worry about Bran.' He lifted her hand and kissed it. "You my first and only best friend. And you weren't around for all the time I brooded over your leaving. I was haunted by a dream of you getting married to a stranger and being happy with him."

"And you couldn't have come and rescued me, as much as you wanted to," she added remorsefully. "It was just a blessing from the Gods that I managed to get out in time."

They stood awkwardly for a moment. Then, Jojen asked, "Do you remember the day you left? When we..."

"Kissed?" she supplied.

"Exactly. Do you remember how you felt?"

"Ummm..." She blushed. "It was a bit awkward."

He had hoped she would say she had enjoyed it. They had come close to being in a rather compromising position, after all.

Eager to find out her reaction, he pressed his lips to hers, like he had done a year ago, when they parted.

And it was like his heart was having a seizure, and there would be no one to catch him when he fell. And if he had never been a warrior-type before, he felt invincible now, with her hands in his hair. The whole world (or at least all of Westeros) would stop, as long as he had her next to him.

But, unfortunately, she pulled away. "We shouldn't do this. It's not right."

Without another word, she walked past him, leaving him stunned.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! R&R?**


	8. You Should Be Alone With Me

Chapter 8

You Should Be Alone With Me

Juliette was reeling after the kiss. She pretended not to feel anything, but in truth, the same indescribable feeling of their first kiss returned. And more. There was more urgency, more passion, less of the awkward experimentation of a year ago. Had they not been in close proximity with two youths, his sister, a disapproving former wildling, and a "hodoring" giant, she could have allowed them to do the things that they had refused to do the last time.

She realized he might have got the wrong impression, that she didn't have feelings for him, when in truth she burned every day for him.

So when he returned to the campsite, she made an effort to be nice to him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It was just...if we were discovered...and your mission with Bran is very important."

"But that doesn't mean you're not an important part of it." He clasped her hand, sending a chill through her despite its warmth. "Come on. You didn't meet Bran properly. I think you'll like him."

Juliette agreed. She needed to put her jealousy aside and be nice to Bran. As Osha, Hodor, and Meera packed up, she followed Jojen to Bran's side.

"Hello, Bran," she said shyly. "I'm Juliette. I, ummm, grew up with Jojen."

"He talked about you before," Bran said. "He seems to like you a lot."

He had talked about her before?! She assumed all their conversations revolved around Bran's new "gift". Jojen went scarlet, his face clashing awfully with his hair.

"I heard how you were supposed to marry, but your family took you away. But you escaped."

She nodded sadly. "But you...your father...you lost Winterfell..."

"I suppose in a way, we're the same," Bran said solemnly. "Both escaping."

"I didn't think of that..."

They continued talking, even after everything was packed and ready to leave. Then, Bran had to be put in his wheelbarrow again. Jojen wanted to follow behind of course, but this time, he retained her hand. They didn't talk much as they walked, but she would occasionally glance at him when she thought he wouldn't notice, and speedily look away when he turned to look at her.

She cursed herself silently. Was she an adolescent girl like the ones she'd seen in King's Landing, giddy and blushing and annoying? Why couldn't she look Jojen in the eye and smile? They were almost completely alone, like she'd wanted. What was holding her back?

When they stopped again, Jojen took her aside with Bran again, while the others set up camp. They were talking about several things, including the cranogmen of Greywater Watch, though she wasn't paying full attention to specifics.

Then, Osha butted in. "What are you telling him?"

Bran tried to brush her off. "It's all right, Osha."

"It's not all right." She was clearly furious. "You think I can't hear you every day, filling his head with black magic. Talking about visions and three eyed ravens, and wolves..."

Juliette stood up and stepped forward. "Leave him alone.'

"He can speak for himself! And I'm surprised you want to defend him now!"

"I don't fill his head with anything," Jojen said. He pressed her hand in his, begging her to sit down.

"So, what do you talk about?" Osha asked.

"What's happening to him, and what that means."

That did it. Osha turned sarcastic. Crossing her arms, she asked,"Go on then. Tell us what it means."

"It's not like that. I wish I could tell him all the answers. It would be much easier."

"I don't want you talking to him anymore." She turned to Bran. "Until we get to your brother at Castle Black."

Then, Jojen said that they weren't going to Castle Black, because Jon Snow wasn't there, and Bran needed to find the raven beyond the Wall. Osha flatly refused.

Osha broke down after that. After fighting Bran, who was insistent on going with Jojen, she retailed why she left the Wildling Lands. It was a tragic tale of love and loss, in which Osha's beloved was sadly changed due to experiences in the North, forcing her to kill him. Juliette imagined herself and Jojen in Osha and Bruni's places. Would she be able to make the choices Osha did?

It was too much. She fled.

Jojen found her in the woods, sobbing as she scavenged about for spare firewood. Clutching her by the shoulders, he lifted her to face him.

"What happened?"

"It was nothing..." Her fingers swept away the tears as new ones fell.

"It was Osha's story, wasn't it?"

She nodded, wiping more tears off her face. He had to make her feel better.

Wordlessly, he placed kisses all over her face, starting at her forehead. Then he moved down to her cheeks, wiping all the tears away.

He ended with her mouth. Determined to make this kiss more passionate than the others, he didn't just press his lips to hers. No, he devoured her mouth, taking in every bit of lips parted slightly, heat radiating from her. Brushing all previous fear aside, he brushed his tongue against her mouth, slowly slipping it in, allowing it to tangle with hers, like a ballroom dance.

But whatever happened, he couldn't let this go too far. They couldn't cross that line.

It appeared it was a little too late for that. She steered them toward a clearing, leaning back on the grass, leaving him little choice but to fall with her. Then, she refocused her attention from his lips to his neck.

"Why do you always wear this awful cloak?" She examined his neck, looking for the fastenings. But before he could direct her, a voice called, "Jojen!"

Meera. Gods, no.

She was still at his neck when Meera found them.

"What's going on?"

**Hope you enjoyed! R&R! I thought I'd mention what the posting "schedule" is going to be like now that Season 3 is winding down. I will post a new chapter soon, but I want to see the new episode first, and if it has any Jojen scenes, I'll include them. There might be a delay, as I'll be watching it online, but it should be up before Tuesday! After that, I might be able to do one more chapter. **

**After that, depending where they stand relative to the scenes in the books, I might do more book-based chapters. Without giving too much away, I can say that I really want to do the scenes from DWD, because they're so sad, and will test their relationship. **


	9. An Admission of Love

**This chapter is nice, warm, and fluffy! After being shocked by the spectacle that they call the Red Wedding, I couldn't do anything too dark. **

Chapter 9

An Admission of Love

"What's going on?"

"Jojen just stared at his sister. Juliette quickly jerked away from him.

"It was my fault, Meera. I didn't think..don't blame him for this."

" No, it was my fault,." He got carried away, and should have stopped when things got too heated.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was," Meera said with a chuckle. "I wondered where you two have gone off to. And I'm glad you two have finally worked out your differences."

"Not unlike some others who have been fighting for much too long," Juliette said dryly.

"Shut up." Meera flicked Juliette by the ear. "And you best go back, unless you want to be left behind." She started to head back.

"Come on." Jojen offered Juliette his hand and they stood up together.

"Awwwww, how sweet!" Meera called back to them.

"Does she have eyes in back of her head?" Juliette asked. "I've always suspected she did."

"Well..." Now that he thought about it, it was a possibility. Meera could always sense when something was going on behind her back, even from a yard away. Maybe that was what made her a good hunter. "That would explain why all our attempts at surprise attacks on her failed."

"Ah, I knew you were attempting to pounce on me!" Meera called back again.

"Ears are pretty sharp too," he whispered in her ear.

"Heard that!"

They burst into out-of-control laughter.

It was nice to have someone you could be completely free with, if only for a few moments.

That would be their last moment of freedom for a while. From then on, it was back to the task they had set out to do, with no more time to be alone.

They continued on, until they reached a fortress that Osha said was called "the Gifts", built by Brandon the Builder for use by the Knight's Watch.

"It doens't seem to be supporting anyone at the moment," Jojen noted.

"It's good land and there's no war up here," added Meera. "Why leave?"

"Wildlings," Osha said. They knew what she meant.

"Sorry," Bran said. "But they come out of the Wall and raid, steal, carry off women..."

Rickon, angel that he was, talked about the wild stories he'd heard from Old Nan, about force feeding you your own blood. Juliette smiled on him as he retailed them, adding, "That's silly, Rickon."

"That's what Old Nan said!" he protested.

Jojen looked up. "There's a storm coming."

Bran looked up too. "I don't see any."

Seconds later, thunder roared. Having no other options, they all headed inside the fortress. Jojen noticed that Juliette coughed to suppress a laugh when Osha suggested drinking blood while waiting for the storm to clear up.

It did storm. And they were consigned to waiting around while the rain fell and thunder clapped outside. Juliette felt strange being indoors after all that time outside. But at least she was warm. Everyone else was restless, but Jojen suggested she relax in his lap for a bit.

"I promise I'll try not to move,' he whispered, kissing her forehead.

She tried to relax, but she could not help but listen in on the conversation The topic turned again to the mission, of course, with goal of going past the wall.

Then, Hodor went into a fit of "hodors". And then Meera, who was watching the window, shouted, "There's a rider out there!"

"Just one?" Jojen asked, clearly alarmed.

"No, there's more!"

"I'm sorry, darling," he whispered, lifting her head. Juliette watched as he too ran toward the window.

Osha attempted to calm Hodor, while Jojen and Meera watched the spectacle outside. "Wildlings," Jojen concluded.

"Osha went to the window next. "Where's Shaggydoh and Summer?" she asked Bran.

"Hunting."

Another rap of thunder. Juliette scooted closer to Hodor, hoping to comfort both of them. But then he too stood up, launching into another fit of loud "Hodors", despite repeated whispers to be quiet.

"Make him shut up!" Jojen hissed at Bran, "If they hear us..."

"Hush, Hodor, no more Hodoring!"

But he just continued on, louder than ever. But then, a strange thing happened. Bran's eyes got shifty, as if in a trance, and Hodor suddenly became calm, settling into sleep.

They all stared at him. "What did you do?" Meera asked incredulously.

But there was little time to marvel over this small victory. A whinnying sounded outside, which Osha said was a horse dying. Jojen watched the chaotic scene further before turning to Bran. "The wolves are out there."

"I can't do it by choice," Bran refuted. "I don't know how. It's happened in my dreams."

"You're a warg, Bran," Jojen lectured. "It's in your blood."

"I can't."

"You just did, with him. A wolf is nothing compared to that."

Bran scanned the faces across the room. They all begged him to do it.

"Do it," Jojen commanded Bran. Everyone else silently urged him on.

And just like that, it happened. His eyes grew shifty. And they knew he was inside the wolf.

After a few minutes, he returned to normal, once the wildlings were scared off. Juliette stared at him intently, even after Jojen returned to her side, resting her head on his chest. Thus boy needed Jojen more than she originally thought. Perhaps even more than she did.

They settled down after that. Bran retailed everything to them, starting with how Jojen was right, and how he could go in someone's mind whenever he liked. And Jojen confirmed her deepest fears: That while wildlings on the other side of the Wall could control all sorts of animals, Bran was able to warg into a human's mind, which no one else could do. Then, he told Rickon about how, through Summer's eyes, he saw Jon Snow, and how the Wildlings almost killed him, but he got away.

"He'll be heading back to Castle Black, then," Osha said. "That's where we should go.'

"For all we know, Castle Black is already under attack" Then Bran and Osha started arguing about how Osha wouldn't go North of the Wall again, but Bran insisted on going because Jojen had been telling the truth the whole time.

"Don't worry," said Bran finally. "I'm not asking you to come with me. It won't be same for Rickon."

What followed was a tender sibling moment, in which Rickon insisted on going to protect Bran, but Bran told Rickon that if something happened to him, he was the heir to Wiinterfell. Osha took him in her lap and tried to tempt him with adventures of their own.

"You don't have to do any of this," Bran insisted.

"Your family took me in," Osha said, "and was good to me when they had no cause to be."

Juliette watched as Bran and Rickon shared one last hug. Then, Rickon dove in her direction. She disentangled herself from Jojen.

"Are you coming with us?"

"I..." She honestly had not thought about it.

"She's staying," Jojen said automatically.

'I can't argue with that."

"Only because you love him."

Before she might have denied it. But now? "I think I do."

**I think I want to adopt Rickon to be my brother! He's just too cute! Too bad there likely won't be any more of him in the coming episodes/season. **

**So, if you've been keeping up with the show, there's still one more episode left! And I think Jojen might be in it, as Ellie Kendrick mentioned she had a scene with her friend Hannah Murray (Gilly). And there's a scene with Bran & Co. minus Osha and Rickon interacting with Gilly in the book. **

**In the meantime, would you rather have another sweet, fluffy chapter or two with completely original plot? Or do you mind if I give away spoilers from the "jojen" scene early? I have a tight schedule this coming week, and might not have a lot of time to use the comp. So, just tell me what you'd prefer! **


	10. Too Late To Turn Back

**Spoiler-y for next week's episode, I think...Borrowed heavily from GRRM for this, so credit goes to him. **

Chapter 10

Too Late to Turn Back

Parting had been difficult, but Juliette felt relieved to be wanted. She hadn't wanted to burden Jojen as he continued to guide Bran, but the fact that he insisted he insisted she stay "We need you here," he told her privately. Which was like saying, "I need you."

While they hadn't discussed the her declaration of love, it was clear that they had long passed the stage when they were merely friends, the way they had been in Greywater Watch. And everyone knew it.

After leaving the Gifts, they next journeyed to Nightfort. Bran showed some uneasiness about traveling there, to "the end of the world", as he called it. But Meera shook it off as "just another castle", despite legends of ghosts that abounded. Meera offered to go scouting, to see if they could find an open gate somewhere.

"We might as well explore the place, since we're here," Jojen suggested.

Leading Juliette by the hand, with Hodor behind pulling Bran, and Summer taking the rear, the looked around. This was the sort of place she imagined going on a quiet, romantic outing. Somewhat dark and scary, but only just enough to make snuggling up a necessity. There were lots of dark doors, and if weren't for the rats, she would have suggested coming back again when their quest had ended. There were fallen towers, and a library full of more rats instead of books. Everything from the Great Hall to the bathhouse seemed antiquated and crumbling.

When Meera returned, Jojen immediately pressed her for details. She described a haunted forest and wild hills, as well as a lake. But then she turned to Bran. "I'm not sure this is the place..."

"We might as well stay here," Juliette said. "If it's not the place, we can sort it out later. It's getting dark."

"Why don't we sleep in the kitchens?" Jojen suggested. "The shelter there will be better. And Bran can rest against the tree."

The weirwood tree in the kitchens looked more like a well, but it would serve all the same.

"But it will be cold at night..." Bran said.

"I suppose we could sleep close together," Meera said flippantly. "But Jojen has dibs on Juliette, so stay away! But no groping in the kitchen! That last incident was rather scarring."

"We weren't groping," Jojen said flatly.

"Whatever you say," Bran chortled, in a lighter mood now.

They settled down to dinner: fish Meera had caught along the way. Juliette remained nuzzled up on Jojen's shoulder for the entire meal. He occasionally passed a skwer in front of her mouth, feeding her. She could hear Bran's disgusted sigh and Hodor's disgusted "Hodor" in the backround. But she didn't care. It was nice to have a moment like this.

"We should get to bed," he said once they had finished. "Perhaps I'll have a greendream that will guide us in the right direction."

"And if you can't sleep, there someone who can help with that!" Meera exclaimed. She and Bran exchanged smirks.

"Shut it," Jojen snapped.

Juliette's jaw dropped. Had he just lost his temper? Did love turn people crazy, the way she'd often heard they did?

Jojen slept like a rock for a while. Perhaps it had been a mistake to sleep so close to Juliette, despite the chill. It had definitely been a mistake to dally with her when he was certain the others were asleep.

They hadn't done anything thoroughly compromising, but they had gone farther than they did before in the woods. He lifted her blouse, trailing kisses up her belly until he reached bare breasts. And those beauties...he had done unspeakable things to them.

They both were hungry for more, but this was not the time or the place. He stifled her passionate moans with a fierce kiss. "On our wedding night, my love."

They drifted off to sleep after this. His mind was full of her: returning home with her to Greywater Watch, marrying her, raising a family with her by his side.

Therefore, there was no greendream that night. At least none that pertained to the mission. Instead, he dreamed of her.

It seemed that he had become Lord of Greywater Watch, because his father was nowhere in sight. Meera was there, however, teaching a little boy with dark hair and bright green eyes how to shoot a bow. He looked to be no more than three years old, and he already was as good as his aunt.

He entered the hut. Juliette lay on the bed, a baby in her arms, with a small tuft of red hair. She was a bit older than he remembered her, but just as beautiful.

"Oh, look, Lara, there's Papa!" He approached her bedside to have a look at Lara.

"They're both so beautiful," he said, taking both both mother and daughter in an embrace.

Then, their son raced inside. "Can I have a hug too?"

'Just like his aunt, this one," Juliette said with a laugh.

"HODOR!" That came out of nowhere. And woke him, snapping him back to reality and out of his dream. His eyes snapped open, to see the others all awake - Bran standing - and on the other side of the well, there was a scream. Something - or someone - was there.

Meera went to stand over him, stabbing him with her spear. "Who's there?"

"I'm Sam..." he sobbed.

Jojen fed sticks to the fire until they flared up again. Then, they saw a girl with him, pale, pretty, and about Meera's age, except for the fact that she had a squalling baby in her arms.

They soon found out that this Sam was a brother of the Night's Watch, and that girl's name was Gilly. They claimed they were sent by someone named Coldhands to find Bran. Soon, Sam realizes that Bran is the one.

"You're Jon's brother!"

"That boy is dead," Jojen said.

"Please don't tell," Bran pleaded.

He promised. Noticing Summer, he offered him a sausage. Summer accepted and gave Sam's hand a lick. Thar seemed to convince Bran.

"We're going with you."

"All of you?'

"Yes," Juliette said. "Where he goes, we go."

It was decided. Gilly was going to stay behind with her baby, and Sam would come back for her. Thus, they started climbing down the well, Jojen and Juliette going hand in hand.

After a few twists and turns, at last they came to the Black Gate, though it was actually made of white weirwood with an old, wrinkled face on it.

Suddenly, the door opened its white eyes. "Who are you?"

Sam responded quickly, describing the very thing a brother of the Night's Watch was. The door smiled.

"Then, pass." The smile got wider, and the face more wrinkled, and Juliette yelped, quickly grasping Jojen's arm as Sam waved him through ahead of him.

"You're sure about this?" he asked, pulling her aside.

"If you are, I am," she said firmly. "We've been through too much to turn back."

He didn't know whether she was referring to the mission or their actions the previous night.


	11. Going Home

**This chapter was inspired by the three Bran chapters in "A Dance With Dragons", albeit in a much briefer form, and with a different outcome. Therefore, I owe a debt once again to George R.R. Martin. I do realize some of it may be a bit out-of-character, but in the interest of moving the story along, I decided to do it this way. **

Chapter 11

Going Home

But what awaited them wasn't what any of them were anticipating. It was snowy and cold; compared to this, the chill of Nightfort was just that, a chill. Juliette felt for poor Jojen. Even he was impacted by the cold. She and Meera supported him between them with their warmth, but that didn't stop him from feeling the effects of frost. Icy snot caked beneath his nose, which he didn't bother to brush away.

And his eyes...his beautiful intense, moss green eyes that Juliette loved so much...they were full not with the wisdom they normally possessed but fear.

At least they were on their way to the three-eyed raven. Sam had delivered them to Coldhands, and despite Meera being unsure about whether the mysterious, deadky-looking ranger was trustworthy, Bran believed in him, because he had saved Sam and Gilly from wights.

Jojen grew tired, and Meera decided they would ride on the back of one of the elk. But it was stubborn, and didnt't listen, and Jojen almost fell a few times. Thankfully, Juliette, standing at his side, kept him from falling.

Finally, after walking for a long time, they came upon a village, abandoned by said he needed to deal with some enemies nearby. Bran noted that at least they would be safe from the wind in its longhall, with its thick walls and roof, an improvement on the castle. Juliette thought she would enjoy this place a lot better, as there were no rats.

"Hodor," Hodor said in agreement. It was the first "Hodor" he'd uttered in days that wasn't broken by the chill.

Meera prepared their meager supper, which by now consisted of chunks of broken ice and acorn paste. While everyone else attempted to choke down the disgusting concoction, while longing for the fish and rabbits of the days before, Jojen's portion remained untouched.

"Come on, you have to eat," Juliette said, cuddling his neck. "You were thin to begin with, and now, you're wasting away."

"Let me rest for now, darling," he whispered. "This is not the day I die, I promise. And my dreams are more than enough."

"But not even greendreams -"

"They're all we have."

Fortunately, Coldhands returned with a sow, providing them with a much better nourishment. Bran has warged into Summer, and woke up when the meat began to roast on the fire. He seemed to welcome the sight of food, though he looked warily at Coldhands. Meera and Hodor both ate sumptuously.

Jojen gnawed rather sparingly on his joint. Juliette looked at him encouragingly, internally pleading with him to eat. Fortunately, he did so.

Then, one thing led to another: Bran questioned Coldhands on the foes, which turned out to be the Night's Watch, and then they returned to the subject of Coldhands being dead.

"Who is the three-eyed raven from Bran's dreams?" asked Meera.

"The last greenseer,"Bran said ominously. "A monster."

Juliette crouched closer to Jojen in fear. Meera turned to him expectantly. "What do you think?"

"We would never make it back to the Wall now," Jojen said resolutely. "We either do this or we die."

Or we do this and you die, she thought, trembling in terror.

The remainder of the journey to the raven, who turned how to be a one-eyed man, would be a bit of a blur to both of them: Jojen because he was delirious for most of it, and Juliette because she was fixated on helping him and Meera the entire time. But they successfully found him, and he began to tell his tale. But other than his name, Brynden, the same as Bran's uncle, Jojen did not catch any of it. A dream he had, one that recurred every time he lay down to rest on the journey for the past few weeks, had not left him. And even though they were fed and warm, the dream tore him up inside.

"He wants to go home," Meera said one day. "He had a dream about his fate, and he's not willing to fight it It's not good."

"We should go home," Juliette said automatically. "Jojen's task is done. He has taught Bran all he can . Perhaps Brynden has a way of getting us home?"

"But we can't leave Bran!" Meera protested.

"Hodor!" said Hodor.

"And you don't know what might await you if you go back!" Bran added.

"We still ought to try..." said Juliette. She approached Brynden, not letting go of Jojen's hand. "Excuse me, sir. but do you know of any magic that would get us home?"

"You must drink the draught of return," Brynden explained. "It will return you home."

Juliette looked anxious, until he amended, "It will return you to the home of your heart. The draught has been used for centuries to unite parted lovers, to find one's twin soul, to guide one to their destiny. And I sense that you have been a recipient of this potion before, Juliette Cromwell."

Could that be how she ended up in Greywater Watch without ever having been there before in this lifetime? Could her stepmother, the scheming Lady Viviane, have unknowingly given her the potion Brynden spoke of?

"Will it work again?"

"As long as you need to return home, or to the person you are twinned with, it will work."

Juliette and and Jojen exchanged sad looks.

"We'll do it," he agreed solemnly.

Brynden handed each of them a goblet full of a purple liquid. Jojen reluctantly sipped. The initial taste was like rancid meat. He sipped again. This one wasn't so bad; a bit like eating a frog. He continued on, until finally the last drops yielded the taste of the food he had hungered for for weeks: a delicious roast chicken. He could tell that Juliette too enjoyed the last of the dtink by the pleasurable expression on her face.

Suddenly, the room began to spin. Meera gripped him tightly, not letting him go for a while. Then Bran gave him a brief hug. With the goodbyes said, the spinning grew more intense and more rapid. He reached out to grasp Juliette's hand, just as the entire room went black.

**Next: what awaits Jojen and Juliette when they return to Greywater Watch? **


	12. A Secret Wedding

Chapter 12

A Secret Wedding

Jojen awoke to find himself back in their hut at Greywater Watch. Beside him, still resting peacefully, was Juliette. And instead of her filthy blouse and trousers, and cloak, she wore a violet gown made of soft linen. He spent several minutes ogling and petting her new garment, before he realized he too had new nightclothes.

It was only a green linen nightgown the about the same shade as his eyes. How intimate, the two of them sharing a little bed with little but sheets of linen to bar them Had that been why he dreamed of stripping her, practically consuming her, to sate his desires? And why hadn't the same dreaded greendream, the one about returning ot Greywater and finding it deserted and ransacked come to pass?

He needed to find his father. Lord Howland was likely out hunting or fishing or some such at this hour.

But as soon as rose and looked about the hut, he realized something was wrong. The hut had fallen into disrepair, as if it hadn't been lived in in months. Upon going out onto the swamplands, he found bones, scattered throghout carelessly. The most frightening of all was the skill, structured almost identical to Lord Howland's. Horrified, he dropped the skull.

"Wh-what happened here?" Juliette trembled, tiptoeing behind him.

"I think they killed him," he said solemnly. "They killed Father."

"I'm sorry!" She hugged him from behind. "it's my fault!"

It's not." He turned and returned her embrace. "You don't know it was them. And if it was, you're not to blame."

"Yes, because I am," said a sinister voice. They both looked up to see Lady Viviane striding toward them.

"You needn't worry," she said sinisterly. "I've brought no army and no weapons. I only wished to impart the news of your father's criushing death in person."

"You killed my father?" Juliette glared at her stepmother.

"He was easier to kill than Howland Reed," but I got them both in the end. And it would be my pleasure to see you married, Lord Reed. You are my ward now, and I must do right by you. But you will not be marrying Juliette."

Juliette's jaw dropped. His heart lurched.

"Juliette is to marry Lord Farman, as promised. As for you, Lord Reed, you will wed my daughter, my sweet Vivling."

Jojen was sure he would throw up in his mouth. Juliette clung tightly to his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. He could faintly feel the tears falling on his sleeve. Maybe they shouldn't have come home.

But then, Juliette looked up. Staring her stepmother straight in the eye, she declared, "I think I could be pregnant."

He was stunned. but he understood why she lied. It was quite plausible that during all the time they had been gone, had they chose to consummate their relationship, there could have been a baby. And Lady Viviane didn't know where they had really been, so they might be able to fool her.

"You both will come to King's Landing with me," she decided. "And if you are not showing you'rwithin six weeks, I will move forward with your respective marriages, regardless of your soiled nature."

Jojen didn't know how they would get out of this. He would lose her once Lady Viviane discovered that not only was her stepdaughter not pregnant, but her maidenhead remained intact.

He traded nervous glances with her. They needed to have a long talk about this.

They arrived in King's Landing two days later, Juliette was dismayed when she heard her stepmother's orders. "Place Lord Reed and young Lady Cromwell under constant supervision. Do not allow them to be alone together."

As they dragged him away, Juliettte wept. She had never felt so helpless.

She spent the day with her stepmother and Vivling in their audience-chamber She met Sebaston Farman in the late afternoon, He was a tall man, quite attractive, with curly black hair and a whiskery chin. But he was brusque, and insistent that his wife be submissive and meek, otherwise she risked incurring his rage.

"I'll not have my bride wearing trousers," he warned. "And all the dresses you do order must meet with my approval. And speaking of my approval, you must not have any friends I do not approve of, which means that Lord Reed is forbidden, regardless of wheyher you're with child. You should be lucky I am willing to take you ruined."

Then, he slapped her soundly across the face for good measure, before departing.

"This is a good match for you," Lady Viviane said after he left. "I'm sure once you prove you have no feelings for Lord Reed, he will be a good and loving husband. He just wishes to claim you, given the circumstances."

But once she was alone that night, with just her maid for company, she began plotting. The best way to avoid marrying Lord Farman was to marry someone else, and quickly have the marriage consummated.

"Maia, do you know where Lady Viviane has ordered Jojen be installed?"

"Down the hall, my lady. Would you like me to bribe the guards to release him?"

"Please do." She reached into her purse and pulled out a handful of coins. "Here. Give these to whoever's guarding the door, and tell him to come to my room quickly. Then, go fetch a priest quickly.'

While Maia was gone, her heart was beating faster. What if Maia was discovered? What if they were caught during the ceremony?

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. She opened the door slowly. Jojen stood there, looking small and scared as he had when they were in the snowy caves. She swiftly opened the door wider and dove into his arms.

"You must be mad..." he mumbled into her shoulder.

"But you see," she whispered back, "if we marry, I won't have to marry Lord Farman...and we could...you promised that on our wedding night..."

"Indeed I did, pet." He gently kissed her hands. "It would be horible to imagine someone else with you..." He brushed the spot over her eye that Lord Farman had slapped. "Did he do this?"

She nodded, whimpering as he placed a kiss on the spot. "You don't deserve this."

When Maia returned a short time later, Jojen was still caressing her face and her neck. But a priest accompanied her, so her task was complete.

"Lord Reed, Lady Cromwell," the priest croaked. "Such an advantageous match. A pity no one else sees it that way...Do you have a ceremonial cloak? Any cloak will do.'

Jojen removed his own cloak. The priest cleared his throat. "You many now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection."

Jojen put his cloak around Juliette's shoulders. Despite the warmth of the fur coat, she felt a nervous chill.

The priest continued, wrapping a bit of cloth around their joined hands. "In the sight of the Seven, I hereby see you these two souls, binding them as one for eternity. Look upon one another and say the words."

Jojen and Juliette turned to each other and said simultaneously, "Father. Smith. Warrior. Mother. Maiden. Crone. Stranger. I am his/hers, and s/he is mine, from this day, till the end of my days." At the conclusion of their vows, Jojen swept her in his arms and gave her the most soul-searing kiss the had ever shared.

"Enjoy your wedding night," the priest said. They waited for sound of the door shutting behind him and footsteps down the hall. Then, they dove right into bed. And they knew they wouldn't get much sleep.

But when at last they had exhausted themselves, they curled up dozed. "Good night, my love," he muttered, just as he was falling asleep.

"Good night, Jojen."


	13. The Pieces Come Together

Chapter 13

The Pieces Come Together

Jojen hardly slept that night. He was tired, but he could not stop thinking about everything that had happened with her. She was his wife now. He had to be the luckiest man in Westeros to have found someone who fit so perfectly in his arms and his life.

And what of last night? She had enjoyed herself, he knew that much. But she had bled. He wondered if it had hurt. Had she felt sliced open, the way Meera cut down prey?

Meera. She would be happy they were married. Part of him regretted leaving her. He wished there was a way to get back. He didn't belong here. There had to be a way to return to Greywater Watch. Or didn't Juliette have holdings in the North now, with her father gone? Couldn't they go there? They would be much safer with the protection of knights and masters-at-arms. And would lady Viviane attack her own home?

"Jojen," Juliette mumbled as she rolled over in his arms. Now instead of the lovely curve of her behind pressed up against his groin, there were her pouty, kissable, lips and taut and supple breasts.

He couldn't resist. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

Her eyes fluttered open. She had the most beautiful innocent chocolate eyes. "Good morning," she said dreamily, moving in for another kiss.

"Did it hurt?"

"Only for a bit. After, it was lovely."

"You mean it? I worried you were sore...like a butchered wild animal."

"The wild animal part is right." She smirked. She scooted closer toward him, until they were chest-to-chest. "Can we do it again?"

"As long as Lady Viviane is not an early riser..."

"Don't worry." She pushed against him, pushing him back down into the bed. Throwing one leg over his torso, she straddled him. "She takes a sleeping potion every night, and isn't awake until noon at the earliest."

"Good." He captured her lips once again.

Lady Viviane was enraged when she heard about the marriage between Juliette and Jojen.

"I suppose you did do the honorable thing," she said at first. But then, she added, with venom, "But I am your guardian, and you had no right to marry without my permission!

"Who are you now, Lady Viviane?" Juliette spat back. "Father has died and you are nothing but a dowager. Brandon Stark has more freedom than I do, and he is eleven!"

"I care nothing for the upbringing of orphans. You have a mother figure who wants what's best for you."

"And what's best for me was to send me away to who-knows-where, just because you didn't like me? You're lucky the potion sent me to the Reeds!"

"The Reeds are and always were filth!" There were daggers in her eyes as she stared in Jojen's direction. "Do you honestly want him in control of your fortune and land?'

"Of course," she said. "And I leave it to him to discuss the terms of your continued residence on our property."

"You will never come to Greywater Watch ever again," Jojen declared. "As long as my wife lives, you and yours are welcome to live on her property."

Juliette thought Jojen was much too reasonable, but it was thanks to Lady Viviane's hatred of her that they had come together in the first place. Those first six years, she had been only half the person she was meant to be. They were two pieces missing their counterpart, and they'd found it in each other. And sometimes, it took a bit of hardship before you discovered your other half. And sometimes, growing up with someone, and it takes nearly losing them for you to realize you're meant to be together.

She smiled as a defeated Lady Viviane stalked out of the room.

"Shall we go home/?" asked Jojen.

"I can't wait."

Eleven Years Later

Jojen was a greenseer, yet he had not foreseen having quite so many children,

There was the boy he had first seen in his dreams, quite likely conceived on their wedding night or the following morning. They named him Howland, after his grandfather, and like he had foreseen, he took to marksmanship before he took to walking and talking.

Then came Lara two years later. Then, she was pretty sure she popped out about one a year, untill they had a grand total of eight children. And she had just announced that they were expecting another.

"I think I forgot what you look like when you're not pregnant," he joked. But he loved them all, and with each passing day, he loved Juliette even more.

Thankfully, there was Meera to sort out the brood of little ones. She taught the girls (plus young Howland) how to shoot and hunt, while the other boys generally were closer to their parents and spent more time listening to stories. And their five year old boy, Bran, was already beginning to have greendreams.

"I saw you with the king, Father," little Bran said. "I knew he was the king, because he was called Bran, like me. But he was a little boy."

"He is a friend," Jojen replied. ""Perhaps, one day, you will meet him."

Indeed, only a few weeks later, King Brandon Stark, the Sixth of His Name, came to visit Greywater Watch.

"Your family is a lot bigger than it was when I last visited," Bran said with a laugh.

"How does your wife do?" Juliette asked.

"Shireen is doing quite well," said Bran. "She is to be confined soon, but she is in excellent health."

"I pray to the gods that she survives the ordeal. Not even four months after one child, I'm already expecting another, and I'm forced to anticipate the pains all over again"

"You cannot expect all noble families to be quite as prolific," teased Bran. "And I quite envy you both. Shireen has drawn the line at three children."

Who would have thought Bran Stark would be a family man? Jojen almost laughed at the thought, and he still rarely laughed.

"Have you heard anything from Jon?" asked Bran suddenly. "He told me he was hoping to come to court one Meera Reed."

Jojen glanced in Meera's direction. She was blushing furiously, which was terribly out of character. "What did he tell you?"

"That he saw Meera at my wedding to Shireen and was immediately smitten."

Meera's and Juliette's jaws dropped.


	14. Afterword

**Please continue to post comments about this story! Do you think it needs a sequel? There was quite an awkward ending...I knew I wanted to hint that Meera was potentially going to get someone, but didn't know how else to put it. And since she doesn't seem like the type who would be married young, I thought she would remain unmarried, until I suddenly had that crazy idea. **

**Please let me know what you think about the Jon/Meera idea, or if you think there's someone else Meera should be with. Should she be with an OC too? **


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